Albany Missionary Baptist Church (Albany, Oregon)

The Candlestick-Tabernacle Lesson 11

by

The Candlestick-Tabernacle Lesson 11

Click Here to download/print this lesson

Text:  Exodus 25:31-40;  37:17-24

No measurement was given for the candlestick, for who can measure the fullness of Christ?

  • Psalm 36:6 God’s righteousness like great mountains, deep waters…how can we measure?
  • Psalm 92:5  God is greater than we can imagine in our sinful minds.
  • Romans 11:33  unsearchable, ways past finding out.
  • Colossians 2:9  Jesus contains the fullness of God, endless.

 

Candlestick was placed within the tabernacle on the south wall, opposite the table of showbread.

  • The gold represents the deity of God, the oil represents the Holy Spirit, and the light represents God and the Word of God (Psalm 119:105)
  • The total of the bowls, knops, and flowers is 66 (66 books of the Bible).
  • 22 Knops = swelling beneath each flower
  • 22 flowers with 5 petals
  • 22 bowls (like almonds)
  • Each of the 6 branches had 9 knops, flowers, and bowls (54)
  • The stem had 4 knops, flowers, and bowls (12 = government. The candlestick was to govern or light the Tabernacle, and today the Church).

Exodus 25:39 Candlestick and the tools were made of a talent of gold.  This is over 100 pounds (millions of dollars).

Exodus 27:20 Pure olive oil was used to burn in the 7 lamps. The oil represents the Holy Spirit.

 

Made of pure beaten gold

A type of Christ’s sufferings

  • Isaiah 50:6; 52:14; 53:2-12
  • Matthew 26:67; 27:26-35
  • Acts 26:23

 

It was constructed with three branches on one side and three branches on the other, with a shaft in the center.

The stand is a type of the church with Jesus at it’s center.

Christ in the midst of His Churches

  • Matthew 18:20; 28:20  Jesus is with an assembled Church.
  • John 15:5  Churches (branches) cannot exist without the Vine (Jesus).
  • Revelation 1:10-13, 20 God was with the Churches (7 candlesticks), in their midst.

There were six branches reaching out, reaching for man

  • 2 Corinthians 4:6 The light we have is from God
  • Matt 5:14-16 We are to let that light shine by sharing the gospel, living and acting like Jesus in this dark world.
  • Isaiah 11:1 Jesus called the Branch
  • Isaiah 53:2 Jesus called a tender plant, a root out of a dry ground (life coming into a dried dead place, this world, reaching for man).
  • John 15:1-8 Jesus is the vine, we are the branches or shoots off of the vine that need the vine or trunk to give us life so we can produce fruit.
  • Jeremiah 1:11-12 Each bowl, knop, and flower were opened almond blossoms with 5 petals each – showing new life.
  • 2 Timothy 1:10 Jesus abolishes death, brings new life.
  • Numbers 17:1-11 Aaron’s rod was an almond rod and bloomed, life brought from a dead branch (like we are until salvation).

The candlestick had vessels (tools)

  1. Tongs, or tweezers, to trim the wicks
  • Numbers 4:9  Tools used
  • Exodus 27:20-21 evening and morning
  • Exodus 30:7-8 Aaron trimmed wicks morning and evening.
  1. We are vessels in the Church
  • Matthew 5:14-16
  • 2 Timothy 2:20-21
  • We need to trim our wicks

The candlestick was to be placed in the sanctuary

Exodus 40:4, 24

The Word was placed in the Church

  • Isaiah 8:16
  • Matthew 13:11
  • John 17:8, 14
  • 1 Timothy 3:15
  • Jude 3

The candlestick was for the light in the sanctuary

Exodus 35:14

  1. Natural light was excluded, only God’s light was present
  • 1 John 1:5-7 Priests were to only walk in God’s light, not the light from the world.
  • John 8:12 fellowship with God requires we walk in His light.
  • Psalm 36:9 Light of God is how we see.
  1. If there was no Biblical light, by what standard would we live and serve?
  • Matthew 6:23 If we are not fully following God we are in darkness
  • John 11:8-10 We have no goodness or light within ourselves (no light in him) except what comes from God, He is that light.
  1. Only God’s light in heaven
  • Revelation 7:15-17
  • Revelation 21:22-25 V.25 No night, God’s light will always be on.  V.23 no sun, God will lighten it, the Lamb is the light.
  • Revelation 22:5 God gives the light

 

The seven lamps

Were placed upon the seven prongs of the candlestick (lamp stand)

  1. The Bible is our all sufficient rule of faith and practice
  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The lamps were to burn continually

  • Exodus 27:20-21
  • Lev 24:1-4
  • Numbers 8:2-4  At consecration of Levites, part of Tabernacle start-up, they were lit and to never go out.
  1. When the lamps go out, the glory is departed
  • Revelation 2:5

 

The oil in the seven lamps represent the seven spirits of God

  • Isaiah 11:2 (Spirit of God, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord)
  • Revelation 4:5; 1:4
  • Jesus Christ had all seven of these
  • Psalm 119:105 The Word is the light on our path (John 1:1-5, 14) The Light shining in darkness (this world).
  • John 8:12 The light of the world

 

When on the march, the candlestick was covered with blue (Heaven) and badger skin (plain, despised, and rejected)

  • Numbers 4:9-10
  • Isaiah 53:2-3 Badger skin pictures how Jesus was seen by the world, looked upon.
  • The world sees not the Holy Spirit or Christ
  • John 14:17
  1. Christ is hidden from the world
  • 2 Corinthians 4:4
  1. The light was enjoyed only by the priestly family
  • The outside world had no clue about that beautiful light within the Tabernacle just as the world does not see the beauty of God and Comforter within His Church.

 

The lighted lamps revealed the beautiful workmanship of the lamp stand

Exodus 25:37

This tells us of the principle design of the Spirit’s ministry to the Churches

John 16:14

Without the Holy Spirit we cannot praise or pray as we should

Romans 8:26-27